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The buses humming along the road, Shelly came out of the tiny compartment of the bathroom towel drying her hair. She looked at her friend with that silly grin she'd had for the last three days. She and Nick had pretty much been inseperable up to that point. They had that High School Musical cutsie wootsie thing going every time they looked at each other. AJ and Theresa had more or less made the decision to separate them for the day." I wanna know what that boy did to make you scream like a banshee girlie?" Theresa looked at her friend whom was still grinning goofily.
"Huh?"
"Oh no. Don't pull that shit on me chica. Answer me."
"I don't know." The grin faded the minute she saw herself on the television screen."Shit!"
Theresa's eyes moved back to the muted screen and saw the cause of their disrupted conversation. Theresa grabbed her ringing phone.
"You guys got the TV on?"AJ inquired.
"Yeah."
"She did tell you about that night didn't she Theresa?"
"Yeah I know all about that. We're cool. I'm not sure about her though."
"I'm not so sure about him."
"Would you stop talking about me like I'm not in the room?!"Shelly bellowed. "Let me talk to him." Yanking the small phone out of her friend's hand.
"Shel?"AJ inquired timidly.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do Age?! I knew it would eventually get out but not to ten million viewers worldwide on TMZ. Then you belting the photographer for what you thought was an innuendo about doing me. We kissed. I guess if the media makes me your latest conquest, that's their consciences they have to deal with."
"Dont' get pissed off at me for something you did!"
"I danced with you! I kissed you! I didn't screw you!"
"Which you did to provoke your boyfriend!"
"Whom they still don't know about so don't become a fucking prick like them! Fuck! talk to your damn boyfriend!" She threw the phone back at her friend and retreated to the back of the bus where the beds were. She curled up in one, wishing to God she could take back what she'd done. Take back what she'd just said to AJ. He was right. He was involved but he wasn't the mastermind behind it and he tried defending her honor. Shit! She was surprised the shit hadn't hit the fan with Brent yet. There he was warning her off Nick and she's all over the so called bad boy of the group. Like that's some great feat! She was mad at herself more than anything because she'd used a nice guy to get to the one man she thought she couldn't have in the first place. And it wasn't like she was using Nick. She had genuine feelings for the man. More real than she'd ever had in her life and here she had to go and screw it up with some friggin tabloid scandal. That wasn't gonna be the worst of it she reminded herself. Once they got hold of the Nick thing she wouldn't be called a cougar, she'd be called a washed up groupie that got her fifteen minutes of fame riding on the Backstreet train. And that would be the G-rated version of things. God only knows what the fans could come up with! She knew. She used to be one of them. It scared the hell out of her to know that she would be the next girlfriend torn to shreds over? Exactly. Now that she was in that position, it wasn't so easy to be seen for the person you are. You're just the bitch that stole their future husband. The fans had been so good to her in every city and it wasn't always because of the Boys, she was as nice to them as they were to her. She always stopped to answer the silly girl questions about what it was like to be around them all the time and such. If they only knew. Wait. They did know now and of course it would be her fault if AJ ever got into any trouble over it. The curtain peeled back and Theresa handed her the phone.
"It's Brent," she mouthed and walked away.
Great!" Hey Brent."
"What the hell are you doing Shelly?! I tell you to stay away from one so you run right into the other one's arms."
"We wouldn't even be having this conversation if I were a man. You'd congratulate me for gettin the hot young piece of ass and we'd go and have a beer."
"That's not true and you know it."
"Bullshit Brent! Even though I'm not underage, as a woman, I still have to worry about whether or not the media will call me a slut if I have too much fun. It's a fucking double standard and it's wrong! Besides, he was just trying to defend my honor. I shouldn't have to remain celibate until prince charming rolls around because he may never come along in this day and age."
"What's happened to you Shel?"
"I just got the cold smack of reality that my life isn't my own anymore Brent but I'm not gonna stop living it just because I have to set some standard for teenage girls around the world. That's not my job."
"Yes it is Shel."
"Then they should realize at my age, I can do what I want without everybody telling me I should be a good girl til I get married. I'm forty one for God's sake. Do you really think anyone believes I've never been with a man?"
"Well no but the way you were all over him, it looked like you'd already been in his bed."
"People are going to think what they want. I can't help that."
"I think maybe we should pull out of this contract Shelly."
"Why? So the media have real reason to say that I am a slut? Because you and I both know that's exactly what they'll say about me. I'll finish this tour like I'm supposed to then we can go from there."
"Is that what you really want? You know their fans are going to be as cold as ice to you now."
"That's a chance I have to take."